Packaging fluids



1970 I T. R. ASHTON ETAL 3,514,919

PACKAGING FLUIDS .4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 22, 1967 F IG. 3.

June 2, 1970 T. R. ASHTON ETAL 3,514,919 I PACKAGING FLUIDS 4Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed May 22, 1967 MILK 00M All? INV 1?. J1:

June 2, 1970 T. R. ASHTON ETAL 3,514,919

PACKAGING FLUIDS Filed May 22, 1967 .4 Sheets-Sheet 5 A rra 4 ME Y5United States Patent 3,514,919 PACKAGING FLUIDS Thomas Richard Ashton,Bromley, and Victor Claude Herbert Cottle and David Jackson, London,England, assiguors to Express Dairy Company (London) Limited, London,England, a British company, and Reed Corrugated Cases, Limited, London,England, a British company Filed May 22, 1967, Ser. No. 640,258 Claimspriority, application Great Britain, May 23, 1966, 22,884/ 66; Aug. 10,1966, 35,713/ 66 Int. Cl. B65b 51/30, 55/06, 55/14 US. Cl. 53-21 2Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE There is disclosed methods of fillingpresterilized containers aseptically with a sterilized fluid. Eachcontainer has a filling pipe which is initially sealed or closed at itsouter end with the container in an empty flattened state in which it issterilized at least internally. The filling pipe is clamped closed nearto its outer end and the outer end is then opened and attached to afilling nozzle. Sterilizing medium is then introduced into the outer endof the filling pipe. The temporary clamp is opened and the sterilizedfluid filled into the container. Part of the pipe or container includesa portion of heat sealable plastics material which is then heat sealedto seal the container and to isolate the container from the fillingpipe. Several forms of filling pipe are disclosed together with forms ofapparatus suitable for use in filling containers with such filling P PBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The inpresent invention relates to packagingand is more particularly concerned with packages for containing fluidsand methods and apparatus for filling and closing such pack-ages.

It has already been proposed to convey a liquid in the form of sachet orflexible bag of a plastic material to a dispensing machine. Thisproposal has been applied especially for the transport and dispensing ofmilk, though it is, of course, applicable to other liquids, whetherconsumable or otherwise. In one proposal a flexible container of bag ofplastic material is provided with a pipe extending from one corner. Thispipe is of rubber and is attached to the bag by a surrounding metalbinding ring which clamps the bag against the pipe and the pipe againsta rigid tubular insert. After filling, the end of the rubber pipe issealed by a plug. The container or bag is inserted in a dispensingmachine with the filling pipe directed downwardly and outwardly andaccess to the contents is obtained by cutting oif the plug. Since thesize of the rubber pipe is more appropriate to a relatively longduration discharge of the contents of the bag, considerable time isinvolved in filling the container through the same pipe. There is now aneed for a container to be adapted to receive a charge of sterilizedmilk; to this end the container and the pipe used for filling oremptying of the container should be brought into and maintained in anaseptic condition before, during and after filling, and during emptying,at least on those surfaces which come into contact with the milk, andthis is not readily attainable if a rubber pipe attached to thecontainer is used for filling and if a separate sealing plug must beinserted thereafter in the end of the pipe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one feature of the presentinvention a method of filling a fluid into a container through a pipe3,514,919 Patented June 2, 1970 including at least a portion of flexiblematerial and communicating with the inside thereof and having its outerend initially sealed or closed, which include at least a portion of heatsealable plastics material comprises temporarily clamping the pipe toclose it at a region between its junction with the container and itsouter end, opening the outer end of the pipe and attaching it to afilling device, applying a sterilizing medium to the inside of thefilling device so as to sterilize the filling device and the inside ofthe pipe between the filling device and where it is clamped, releasingthe temporary clamp, filling the fluid into the container, and heatsealing across the portion of heat sealable plastic material to isolatethe inside of the container fromthe filling device.

The container with its pipe sealed at the outer end is preferablysterilized before the filling operation and the fluid is to be filledinto it is preferably a sterilized fluid.

The container, provided with a pipe, is preferably in the form of a bagof flexible plastic material, and its pipe is sealed wtih the bag in anempty, flattened or collapsed state and the whole then sterilised.

The initial sealing of the pipe and the sterilising of the bag can bedone quite independently of the filling and not necessarly at the sametime or place and presterilized containers can be filled aseptically bythe method or apparatus of the present invention.

The pipe which will hereinafter be referred to as the filing pipe may beentirely of heat sealable plastic mater1- After heat sealing the pipeafter filling the bag with sterilized fluid the inside of the fillingdevice and of the part of the pipe from the filling device to the heatseal can, if desired, be flushed with a view to avoiding or at leastreducing spillage of sterilized fluid, and then the outer end of thepipe is detached from the filling device and may be left as an extensionof the now sealed and shortened pipe, or wholly or partly cut off.Preferably, however, the pipe is heat sealed at two adjacent locationsand is severed in between them, thereby disconnecting the filled bagfrom the filling device without damaging the pipe between one heat sealand the bag and leaving a sealed part of the pipe still attached to thefilling device. This, together with the filling device, can if desired,be flushed prior to detaching it from the filling device. For flushing,a stream of flushing medium such as water can be introduced into thefilling device at one location and flushed away liquid removed atanother location.

The sterilizing medium may be at a superatmospheric pressure and/ or ata super-ambient temperature and in order to avoid distortion of ordamage to the pipe arisingfrom the temperature and/or pressure of thesterilizing medium applied to the inside of the pipe, it is preferablefor the sterilizing medium to be applied to the outside of the pipe atthe same time. For this purpose the sealed outer end of the pipe can beintroduced into a control zone in which the filling device can beconstrained, the temporary clamping of the pipe elfected in the regionof the point of entry of the pipe into the control zone, and thesterilizing medium applied to the control zone at the same time as it isapplied to the inside of the filling device and the pipe and so at leastreduce the pressure differential across the wall of the pipe. Onesuitable sterilizing medium is steam and the temperature and pressuremust be compatible with the material of the pipe and the duration of itsapplication is dependent in part upon its temperature.

According to another feature of the present invention apparatus forfilling a container having a pipe including at least a portion offlexible material communicating with the inside thereof which include atleast a portion of heat sealable plastics material, comprises a fillingdevice means for clamping the pipe to close it at a region spaced fromthe filling device, means for clamping the outer end of the pipe to thefilling device, valve means for connecting the filling deviceselectively to a source of sterilizing medium for sterilizing the insideof the filling device and the inside of part of the pipe and to a sourceof filling liquid for filling the container, and means for heat sealingthe heat sealable portion.

The bag may be conveniently manufactured from continuously extrudedplastic tubing by spaced transverse heat seals and may preferably becontained within an outer wrapping or bag of the same or other plasticmaterial. It is preferably formed by wrapping strip material round thebag, overlapping the marginal edges of the strip and heat sealing themlongitudinally. The bag may, if desired, be provided with separatefilling and emptying pipes or a single pipe may suffice both for fillingand emptying. Where separate pipes are provided the filling pipe ispreferably of sufficient size as to enable the bag to be filled withreasonable speed whilst the emptying pipe need only be of a sizecompatible with the envisaged rate of discharge of milk from the bag,and can be of rubber with a rigid tube insert at the region of itsjunction with the bag so that it can be attached by way of a metalbinding ring, and its outer end can be closed by a plug.

After forming the bag with the filling pipe heat sealed to the bag orotherwise attached to and interconnected With the bag, and with theemptying pipe, if provided heat sealed or otherwise attached thereto,the outer end of the filling pipe is closed, and the emptying pipe, ifprovided, is plugged or sealed, whilst the container or bag is stillempty. The inside of the bag and the outside of the bag and the insideof the outer wrapper, as Well as the inside of the filling pipe, and theinside of the emptying pipe, if provided may then be rendered aseptic ina suitable manner, such as by subjecting them to a, 8-, 'y-, X-, orpossibly ultra-violet radiation.

The inner container can now be filled as described with sterilizedliquid in such a manner that the container, when filled and sealed, mayat least so far as its inside surfaces are concerned, still be in anaseptic condition.

For the sake of convenience, the pipe through which the bag is filled,whether it is also used for emptying the bag or a separate emptying pipeis provided, will hereinafter be referred to as the filling pipe.

A method of the present invention can therefore be applied toaseptically filling a sterilized fluid into a presterilized container inthe form of a bag of flexible plastic material with a filling pipe ofdeformable, preferably heat resistant material, having its outer endclosed and being sealingly connected to a tubular element of heatsealable material which is sealedly in communication with the inside ofthe bag.

The outer end portion of the filling pipe may be of deformable,preferably heat resistant, material sealingly communicating with theinside of the container through an element of heat sealable material andhaving its outer end initially closed by a puncturable diaphragm, andthe method of filling comprises passing the closed outer end of thefilling pipe in the region of its entry into a control zone temporarilyclamping the filling pipe into a control zone within which a fillingdevice is capable of being constrained, introducing a sterilizing mediuminto the control zone and into the inside of the filling device,establishing relative movement between the filling device and the outerend of the filling pipe to cause the filling device to engage and piercethe diaphragm at the outer end of the filling pipe, releasing thetemporary clamp, filling fluid into the container, and then heat sealingsaid element to seal the filling container and isolate it from thefilling pipe.

The tubular element of heat sealable material may itself be part of thecontainer, especially if the container is wholly or Partly of heatsealable material and thus integral therewith, or may be attached andsealed to the container to form an extension therefrom.

If the container, at least in that part thereof which is attached to thefilling pipe, is of heat sealable material, the filled container can besealed by means of a heat seal in the region of the attachment of thefilling pipe. Such heat seal can be effected in the body of thecontainer itself or can be effected in an extension of the body ofcontainer and to which the filling pipe is attached, but in any casesuch heat serves two purposes, first to seal the filled container andsecond to isolate the filling pipe from the container.

The container with its filling pipe closed at its outer end ispreferably sterilized before the filling operation and the fluid to befilled into it is preferably a sterilized fluid.

One suitable sterilizing medium is steam; other sterilizing media,either gaseous or liquid can be used though in some cases provision mayhave to be made for purging the inside of the filling device and of thefilling pipe before filling the container or bag with sterilized fluid.When steam is used as sterilizing medium some condensate will be leftinside the filling pipe and in many cases this will be of negligiblequantity, for example the amount of condensate might be as little as 5millilitres which is small as compared with the total volume ofsterilized liquid in the container or bag which might be for examplefive gallons. However, the condensate can be removed or at least reducedin quantity by purging the inside of the filling device and of thefilling pipe with sterilized air or by connecting the inside of thefilling device and of the filling pipe to a source of vacuum. If aliquid sterilizing medium is used it is preferable thereafter to flushthe inside of the filling device and of the filling pipe with sterilizedwater and then to purge them with air and/ or to connect them to asource of vacuum to suck out any remaining water. If a gaseoussterilizing medium, such as chlorine dioxide, is used, the insides ofthe filling device and filling pipe are preferably purged withsterilized air prior to the filling operation.

Where it is necessary that the sterilizing medium be applied to theoutside of part of the pipe at the same time as it is applied to theinside of that part, at least part of the filling device is constrainedwithin a sealable vessel provided with an opening through which the endof the pipe can be introduced, and which is at least in part defined bythe pipe clamping means, and with valve means for connecting the insideof the vessel to the source of sterilizing medium.

It is envisaged that, to support the filling pipe, a semirigid tubularinsert may be utilized. The tubular insert will be semirigid, andpressure and temperature resistant.

The filling pipe may be of natural or synthetic rubber or other nonheatsealable, preferably heat resistant, de-

formable material and may be attached to or connected to the containerby means such as a metal binding ring which clamps together part of thecontainer, one end portion of the filling pipe and a rigid tubularinsert.

It is also envisaged that the outer end of the filling pipe may have awall section of sufiicient thickness as to impart enough rigidity to itas to enable the outer end to be closed by a relatively thin puncturablediaphragm of for example rubber, and that the end of the filling pipecould be eifectively opened by such diaphragm being pierced by the endof the filling device. If the diaphragm can withstand the pressureand/or temperature of the sterilizing medium, the sterilizing mediumneed not be introduced into the inside of the filling pipe since theclosed end thereof need not be pierced until after the filling devicehas been sterilized; it is nevertheless desirable for the filling deviceto be constrained within the control zone and for the sterilizing mediumto be introduced into the control zone as well as into the inside of thefilling device so that the outside of at least that part of the fillingdevice which Will enter the filling pipe after the diaphragm has beenpierced can be sterilized. If the diaphragm cannot safely withstand thepressure and/or temperature of the sterilizing medium, it can be piercedprior to the admission of the sterilizing medium into the control zoneand into the inside of the filling device. The insert should be ofpressure and temperature resistant material and the heat sealablematerial of the filling pipe outside the insert should be kept cool.

After heat sealing, the filling pipe can be detached from the remainderof the container, and the filling pipe and rigid insert unclamped and ifdesired used again. The filling pipe can be attached to one side or edgeof the container, though if the container is generally cubical in shapewhen filled, it is convenient for the filling pipe to be attached to acorner region of the container as this greatly facilitates heat sealingafter filling. Again the container need not be wholly of a heat sealablematerial, though that is preferable, provided that it has a portion ofheat sealable material which can be clamped by means of a surroundingmetal ring and a rigid insert, or by other suitable means, to thefilling pipe and which can be closed by heat sealing after the containerhas been filled. Thus even a container wholly of heat sealable materialmay be provided with a hollow extension sealed to or integral with thecontainer and communicating with the inside of the container forattachment to the filling pipe.

By way of example, one form of apparatus for filling a bag comprises anopenable and sealable vessel having on one wall a filling pipe entryaperture adjacent to and contiguous with which are located filling pipeclamping means; filling pipe sealing means are disposed adjacent theclamping means; a filling nozzle extends through another wall of thevessel. The inner end of the filling nozzle may be tapered on its outersurface to facilitate its entry into the filling pipe of a bag and itmay be surrounded by a taper bored clamping ring movable axiallyrelatively to the filling nozzle by means externally of the vessel. Aninlet pipe at or near the top of the vessel communicates with a supplyof a sterilizing medium such as steam and a drain pipe at the bottom ofthe vessel communicates a trap. A flushing pipe is disposed inside thefilling nozzle and communicates with a supply of flushing fluid such aswater and also with the supply of sterilizing medium through anon-return valve. The filling nozzle communicates with a supply offilling liquid such as sterilized milk through a control valve upstreamof the point of entry of the flushing pipe and in order that the insideof the filling nozzle can be flushed an outlet connection communicatingwith a drain through a trap and a valve is provided downstream of andadjacent to the liquid supply valve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The invention will be further described byway of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of one suitable form of container for fillingsterilized fluid; 7

FIG. 2 is a vertical section illustrating diagrammatically one form ofapparatus for filling a container;

FIG. 3 is a detail section along the line 33 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a detail section along the line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section of an embodiment of a filling tube for acontainer, 3. semi-rigid tubular insert being attached by a wire tie tothe filling tube and sealed by a plug or cork.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section of another embodiment of a filling tube for acontainer, the walls of the filling tube being semi-rigid and the tubebeing sealed by a puncturab-le diaphragm.

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the apparatus used for clamping andpuncturing the sealing diaphragm of the filling tube illustrated in FIG.6, the filling nozzle having a cutting edge for puncturing the fillingtube sealing diaphragm.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One suitable form of containerfor filling aseptically with a sterilized liquid is illustrated in FIG.1 and comprises an inner bag 10 manufactured from a continuouslyextruded tube of flexible heat sealable plastic material such as, forexample, polyethylene or polypropylene, by providing upper and lowerheat seals 12, 14. The inner bag is disposed within an outer wrappingformed from strip material of flexible heat sealable plastic material,which may or may not be the same as that from which the inner bag isformed, wrapped round with its marginal edge portions overlapping as at16 and joined to one another by heat sealing and closed by spacedtransverse heat seals 18, 20. A filling pipe 26 of flexible heatsealable plastic material, which may or may not be the same as that fromwhich the inner bag 10 is formed, is inserted into part of the inner bag10 and is heat sealed thereto as at 28, and the outer end of the fillingpipe 26 is closed by heat sealing at 30. The pipe 26 may be used bothfor filling and emptying the inner bag 10, though if desired a separateemptying pipe 22 may be attached to another part of the inner bag 10.Such pipe 22 may be of flexible heat sealable plastic material, whichmay or may not be the same as the material of which the inner bag 10 isformed, and be heat sealed to the inner bag 10 and have its outer endclosed by heat sealing or it may be of rubber and be clamped within theinner bag 10 by a binding ring 23 clamping the bag to the rubber pipeand the pipe against a rigid tubular insert 24, and have its outer endclosed by a plug stopper 25 which can be subsequently removed for thepurpose of dispensing liquid from within the container With thecontainer empty and the filling pipe 26, or both the filling pipe 26 andthe emptying pipe 22, if provided, closed, the inside surfaces of atleast the inner bag 10 and the pipe 26 or pipes 22 and 26 are sterilizedby submitting the container to suitable radiation, such as w, 5-, "y,X-, or possible ultraviolet radiation.

One suitable form of apparatus for filling a sterilized bag isillustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 or 4 and comprises a vessel which may be ofgenerally cylindrical form having a cylindrical vertical wall 42 sealedto a bottom plate 44 and closed by a movable lid 46 hinged to thecylindrical wall 42 by a hinge 48 and clamped thereto by a bolt andwin-g nut clamp 50-. The bottom plate 44 is provided with an aperture 52through which the filling pipe 26 of a bag can be inserted. Below theaperture 52 there is mounted clamping means indicated generally at 54and below which there is disposed a sealing and severing device 56. Afilling nozzle 58 is sealed to the lid 46 at 59 and extends into theinside of the vessel 40, the lower end of the filling nozzle 58 isoutwardly tapered as at 60 and a clamping ring 62 having acorrespondingly tapered bore 64 is movable axially of the filling nozzle58 by a pair of rods 66 extending through seal packings 67 in the lid 46and attached to a cam follower plate 68 co-operating with a manuallyoperable cam 70. The upper end of the filling nozzle 58 communicateswith a sterilized milk supply 72 through a manually operable supplyvalve 75. A flushing pipe 76 is contained within the filling nozzle 58and emerges downstream of the valve 74 and communicates with a supply 78of flushing fluid such as water through a flushing valve 80, and alsothrough a non-return valve 82 and a sterilizing valve 84 with a sourceof sterilizing fluid such as steam. The pipe 76 enters through the bodyof the supply valve 74, and a small diameter hole 77 is drilled throughthe wall of the pipe 76 near the inside of the valve body so that whensterilizing fluid or flushing fluid is supplied to the pipe 76 some ofthe fluid can be directed towards the closure member and seating of thevalve 76 with a view to avoiding an unsterilized pocket 79 justdownstream of the valve seating. The lid 46 also carries a sterilizingfluid inlet 88 leading to downstream of the sterilizing valve 84. A pipeconnection 90 communicating with the inside of the body 75 of valve 74through a hole 93 just downstream of its seating leads to drain througha valve 91 and a trap 92. A pipe connection 94 in the bottom plate 44 ofthe vessel 40 leads to drain through a trap 96.

The clamping device 54 comprises a cylindrically bored body member 100;one end of the bore is closed by a clamping member 102 having at itsinner end surface a dished portion 104. Slidably within the cylindricalbore is a plunger member 106 carrying at its inner surface a clampingpad 108, conveniently of rubber, shaped complementarily to at least apart of the dished portion 104. Plunger member 106 is connected to aspring-loaded pneumatic piston and cylinder mechanism 110 which may beconnected to a source of compressed air 112 or to exhaust 114 through aclamping control valve 116. The body 100 is provided with a transverseaperture 118 which may be conveniently of square shape as may be seenmore particularly in FIGS. 3 and 4 for the passage of a filling pipe 26,as indicated by the broken lines in FIGS. 3 and 4. The plunger 106 ismovable axially by the piston and cylinder mechanism 110 from anunclamping or released position, indicated by the broken line 106 ismovable axially by the piston and cylinder mechanism 110 from anunclamping or released position, indicated by the broken line 106A,towards the clamping member 102.

The heat sealing device 56 comprises a pair of fixed heat seal members120, 122 with an anvil 124 therebetween, and a pair of movable heatsealing members 126, 128 with a cutter 130 therebetween mounted on aplunger 132 slidable within a bore 134. The cutter 130 is normallyretracted relatively to the members 126, 128 and is connected to one endof a rod 135 leading to a spring-loaded pnuematic piston and cylindermechanism 136 which may be connected to the source of compressed air 112or to exhaust 114 through a sealing control valve 138. The plunger 132is connected to the rod 135 through a spring loaded lost motionconnection 137 such that when the rod 135 is driven to the left by thepiston and cylinder mechanism 136 the plunger 132 advances to the leftto bring the members 126 and 128 into heat sealing relationship with thefixed members 120 and 122. With further movement of the members 126 and128 restrained, rod 135 advances the cutter 130 from its retractedposition relatively to the members 126 and 128, to co-operate with theanvil 124 and sever the pipe between the two heat seals formed bymembers 120 and 126 and 122 and 128 respectively.

For the purpose of filling a bag sterilized by radiation, the valves 74,80, 84 and 91 are closed initially and the valves 116, 138 operated toconnect their associated piston and cylinder mechanisms to exhaust. Thevessel 40 can now be opened by releasing the clamp 50 and swinging thelid open. The sealed filling pipe 26 of a bag is now inserted verticallyupward through the sealing device 56 and the clamping means 54 and theaperture 52 into the inside of the vessel 40. The bag is suitablysupported by means not shown and the valve 116 is operated to applycompressed air to the piston and cylinder mechanism 110 so that theplunger 106 advances towards the clamping member 108 and clamps thefilling pipe 26 as illustrated in the sectional View of FIG. 2, therebyeffectively sealing the inside of the portion of the filling pipe whichcommunicates with the inside of the inner bag. The seal 30 at the end ofthe filling pipe 26 is now cut off or the end of the pipe is otherwiseopened such that the filling nozzle 58 can be inserted therein. The cam70 is operated manually by handle 71 to clamp the end of the fillingpipe to the end of the filling nozzle 58. The lid 46 is now closed andclamped to the cylindrical wall 8 42 to seal the container 40. When thelid 46 is closed and clamped, and the plunger 106 is in the clampingposition as illustrated, the vessel 40 is effectively sealed andpressure resistant.

The valve 84 is then operated to admit steam as sterilizing fluid intothe inside of the container 40 through the inlet pipe 88 and through thenon-return valve 82 and the flushing pipe 76 into the inside of thefilling nozzle 58 and the inside of the filling tube 26 above theclamping device 54. The temperature and pressure of the steam and thetime of its admission are largely determined by the properties of thematerial of which the filling pipe 26 is made. Suitable temperatures arebetween and 135 C. and suitable times range from 30 minutes to a fewseconds; the time and temperature being largely dependent upon themelting point of the material of the filling tube 26. By way of example,in the case of a filling tube being made from high density polyethylene,the conditions may range from a temperature of 115 C. for 30 minutes,through C. for two minutes, to a temperature of C. for a few seconds.The valve 84 is then closed and the valve 116 operated to connect thepiston and cylinder mechanism 110 to exhaust 114 to unclamp the fillingpipe 26 and place the filling nozzle 58 into communication with theinside of the inner bag.

The apparatus disclosed in and described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3and 4 of the drawings in the accompanying specification can be readilymodified to permit the use of sterilizing media other than steam and/orof purging media such as sterilized water and/or sterilized air. Thevalve 84 can be replaced by a multi-way valve for selecting thesterilizing medium or purging medium and individual control valvesprovided for the supply of each medium. For applying vacuum to theinsides of the filling device and of the filling pipe, the flushing pipe76 can be connected to a source of vacuum through a vacuum controlvalve; such source of vacuum would also apply suction to the inside ofthe vessel 40 and if this is not desired the non-return valve 82 wouldbe replaced by a stopvalve which would be closed prior to opening of thevacuum control valve and would also be closed when the flushing valve 80is opened. As the filling pipe is deformable any remaining condensatecan be readily removed by suction applied to the flushing pipe 76; asthe filling pipe is at this time temporarily clamped in the clampingdevice 54, the condensate will tend to collect in the filling pipe justabove Where it is clamped and the application of suction to the flushingpipe 76 will cause the filling pipe to become flattened from theclamping region upwards, thereby forcing the condensate upwards towardthe filling nozzle 58 and towards the bottom of the flushing pipe 76which should extend downwardly as far as possible to or even beyond thebottom of the filling nozzle 58 and may be provided with a perforatedregion at its lower end. The removal of condensate by means of suction,though greatly facilitated when the filling pipe is of heat sealablematerial, is not precluded by the use of filling pipes of otherdeformable material; if necessary the flushing pipe 76 can be oftelescopic construction so that its lower end can be extended below thelower end of the filling nozzle 58.

Where the sterilizing medium is under superatmospheric pressure it ispreferable for it to be applied to the con trol zone provided by thevessel 40 before it is applied to the inside of the filling nozzle 58and thereby to the inside of the filling pipe, so as to avoiddeformation of or damage to the filling pipe particularly if it is ofheat sealable material. To this end a throttle valve controlled by apressure-sensitive device responsive to the pressure inside the vessel'40 may be provided in the pipe supplying sterilizing medium to theflushing pipe 76.

The valve 74 and clamp 54 are then opened to allow milk to fiow throughthe filling nozzle 58 into the inside of the container. Milk is allowedto flow until the desired quantity is in the inner bag. At this time thefilling pipe 26 will also be full. The valve 138 is then operated toconnect piston and cylinder mechanism 136 to the compressed air supply112 whereby to advance the plunger 132 to cause two transverse heatseals to be effected in the filling pipe 26 and then to cause the cutter130 to cut the pipe between the two seals. The valve 138 may then be reoperated to release piston and cylinder mechanism 136 and retract theplunger 132, whereupon the filled and sealed bag may be removed forsubsequent use. By opening the valves 80 and 91, a flushing fluid suchas water can be introduced into the inside of the filling nozzle 58through the flushing pipe 76 so that the contents of the filling nozzle58 and of the remaining part of the filling pipe 26 can be flushed awaythrough pipe 90 to drain. Valves 80 and 91 are then closed, the handle71 operated to release the clamping collar 62 the clamp 50 released andthe lid 46 opened, the end of the filling pipe 26 can then be removedfrom the end of the filling nozzle '58 which is then ready to receivethe end of the filling tube of another bag.

The fluid capacity of the inner bag may vary within a wide range and itis envisaged that diflerent sizes of container may be used from, forexample, a relatively small one having a capacity of half a gallon to arelatively large one having a capacity of, say, 5, or more gallons.

Though a separate filling pipe 26 and a separate empty ing pipe 22 areillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, it is notessential to provide separate filling and emptying pipes. Whilst thefilling pipe can be of larger internal diameter, for example in theregion of 1" or more, than that of a conventional discharge pipe inorder that the filling operation can be eflected relatively speedily,this need not be a disadvantage even if no separate emptying pipe isprovided as a suitable adaptor, or restriction can, if necessary, beincorporated in circuit with the filling pipe whilst the bag is beingemptied.

The form of container illustrated in FIG. 1 is only by way of exampleand not restrictive. For example, the position of the filling pipe, andof the emptying pipe if provided, may be varied and either or both maybe provided at any corner, at the top or at the bottom, at either sideor at any position on any face of the inner bag. The outer wrapping neednot have its overlapping marginal side portions located centrally of oneface of the inner bag; they may be located at one side, and moreover thesides of the strip from which the wrapping is formed may be butt weldedto one another and the joint between them located along one face or atone side of the inner bag or may be formed from two strips asconvenient. Furthermore, the inner bag and/or the outer wrapping may bemade from laminated material with two or more plies including one ply ofmetal foil or of an impervious plastic material.

A container may be formed with a bag of a relatively low melting pointflexible plastic material provided with a filling pipe of relativelyhigh melting point plastic mate rial, though such materials shouldpreferably be compatible with respect to joining them to one another byheat sealing.

The apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 is by way of example onlyand may be modified or adapted to permit automatic operation. Forexample, the valves 74, 80, 84, 91, 116 and 138 and the cam 70 may bebrought under the control of a sequence control which may include one ormore timing devices and/ or temperature and pressure sensitive meansand/or weight or volume sensitive devices for controlling the transitionfrom one step to another in the filling of a bag.

In addition, the clamp 50 and the lid 46 may be power operated so thatthe vessel 40 can be opened and closed automatically under the controlof the sequence control.

Furthermore, means other than the combined heat sealing and severingdevice 56 may be employed. For example, heat sealing device for making asingle seal may be provided and may be adapted to eflect a heat seal ofsufficient length along the filling pipe such as that the pipe can besubsequently severed within the length of such heat seal. Yet again,such single heat sealing device may be used to effect two heat seals atspaced positions along the filling pipe with movement of the piperelatively thereto between making the first and second seals. Meansother than the cutter 130, such as a heated wire, may be employed forsevering the filling pipe.

It is not essential for the filling nozzle 58 to be attached to the lid46 of the vessel 40 as it can equally well extend through the side ofthe vessel, nor is it essential for the axis of the filling nozzle or ofthe vessel 40 to be vertical and either axis can be horizontal or at anyconvenient angle. The clamping means 54 can, if desired, be disposedinside the vessel 40.

When the filling pipe has at its outer end portion a wall thicknesssuffieient to impart suflicient rigidity to it and is of a heatresistant material, whether the filling pipe has its outer end initiallyclosed by a puncturable diaphragm or by any other means such as a plug,or is sealed, it may be possible to dispose with the control ZOneprovided by the vessel 40 and yet sterilize the inside of the fillingnozzle and fill a sterilized fluid aseptically into a presterilizedcontainer. In the modified apparatus illustrated in FIG. 8 there isprovided a block 62A similar to the clamping means 62 of FIGS. 2-4adjacent and connected to the clamping device 54 and including means 70for establishing relative movement between the filling nozzle 58 and theblock and clamping device jointly. In operation, the outer end of thefilling pipe closed by the puncturable diaphragm is inserted through theclamping device and extends into, through, and if necessary beyond theblock; the clamping device is now operated to close and grip the fillingpipe. If the outer end of the filling pipe is closed by a plug or othermeans other than a puncturable diaphragm, means may be included on or inthe upper part of the block to cut 0E the top of the pipe, if the outerend of the filling pipe is closed by a puncturable diaphragm such meansis not necessary. Relative movement between the clamping device andblock on the one hand, and the filling device or nozzle on the otherhand, can now be established in a direction axially of the fillingnozzle so as to cause the filling nozzle to puncture the diaphragm ifnecessary and to engage the outer end of the filling pipe; the block maybe provided with an inverted frusto-conical aperture at its upper end tocooperate with a frusto-conical lower end of the filling nozzle so thatthe outer end of the filling pipe can be sealingly clamped between thefilling nozzle and the block. Sterilizing medium can now be introducedinto the inside of the filling nozzle and thereby into the inside of thefilling pipe, such sterilizing medium being under superatmosphericpressure and super-ambient temperature, though not at a temperaturegreater than that which can be safely withstood by the material of thefilling pipe, yet sufliciently high to raise the outside of the fillingnozzle to a sterilization temperature by heat conduction through thefilling nozzle. Steam is eminently suitable for use as sterilizingmedium in this manner. After sterilization has been effected, the supplyof sterilizing medium is discontinued, the insides of the filling nozzleand filling pipe flushed, purged, or evacuated as described above ifdesired, the clamping device released to open the filling pipe, and thebag filled with sterilized fluid as previously described.

If desired, the block may be provided with heating means such as anannular cavity and means for the supply and return of a heating medium,conveniently the sterilizing medium when that is steam; alternately theblock may be contained within a vessel similar to the vessel 40 and towhich a heating medium can be supplied so that the block becomes heatedduring the sterilization which can thereby be accelerated.

The filling nozzle may be modified to enable it to pierce the sealed endof a filling pipe, For example, a rigid tubular insert can be includedin the outer end portion of the filling pipe adjacent its sealed end sothat the sealed end extends across one end of the tubular insert and canbe pierced by the end of the filling nozzle upon the establishment ofrelative motion axially between the filling nozzle and the sealed end ofthe filling pipe. For this purpose additional clamping means may beprovided inside the vessel 40 and controlled externally thereof toclampingly engage the filling pipe against its tubular insert and eitheror both the filling nozzle and the additional clamping means may bemovable axially relatively to one another within the vessel 40 for thepurpose, firstly, of causing the filling nozzle to pierce the sealed endof the filling pipe and become efiectively in sealing contact therewithprior to the admission of sterilizing fluid, and, secondly, ofwithdrawing the remaining end of the filling pipe from the fillingnozzle after flushing. In this manner the necessity of opening the lid46 of the vessel 40 may be obviated.

The filling pipe can be of many convenient configurations, two otherembodiments being illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6. In FIG. 5 the semi-rigidtubular insert 151 is attached to the filling tube 26 by means of a wiretie 152; the end being sealed by a plug or cork 150. FIG. 6 illustratesthe filling tube 26 being sealed by a puncturable diaphragm 153, the endof the filling tube being made of semi-rigid material 154, this beingself-supporting.

FIG. 7 shows diagrammatically the apparatus used in conjunction with thefilling pipe illustrated in FIG. 6. The semi-rigid section 154 of thefilling tube is clamped in a block 158, the puncturable diaphragm 153being thus in a fixed position, The filling nozzle 159 has a cuttingedge 160 and by the relative axial movement of the nozzle 159 to theclamped filling tube the diaphragm 153 is punctured allowing passage ofthe filling nozzle 159 into the filling tube 26.

By applying the method or apparatus of the present invention topresterilized containers each with a filling pipe of or communicatingwith a portion of heat scalable plastic material, it is possible forsuch presterilized containers to be filled aseptically with sterilizedfluid. If containers of adequate capacity are used, it is possible for asterilized fluid, such as sterilized milk, as part of a bulkdistribution system and on a commercial basis, to

be filled aseptically into such presterilized containers from which itcan be subsequently dispensed in any convenient manner, such as in adispensing machine.

We claim:

.1. A method of filling a fluid into a container through a tube havingone end communicating with the inside of the container and an oppositeclosed outer end, the tube being formed from deformable, flexible heatscalable plastic and material having high enough resistance to heat towithstand a temperature of a sterilizing medium introduced in the tube;the steps comprising, externally supporting the tube to withstand theabsolute pressure of a sterilizing medium, temporarily clamping the tubeto close it at a region between its junction with the container and itsclosed outer end, opening the outer end of the tube and attaching it toa filling device, introducing a sterilizing medium into the fillingdevice to sterilize the filling device and the inside of the tubebetween the filling device and the temporarily clamped portion of thetube, releasing the temporary clamp on the tube, introducing the fluidin sterilized condition into the container through the tube, and heatsealing across a portion of the tube to isolate the inside of thecontainer from the filling. device 2. A method of filling a containeraccording to claim 1, wherein the filling tube is sealed by apuncturable diaphragm which has to be punctured prior to sterilizationand filling.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,197,717 4/1940 Bradshaw 53213,016,284 1/1962 Trexler 532l 3,299,606 1/1967 Weikert 5337 3,325,0336/1967 Wheaton 53-37 X 3,340,671 9/1967 Loo 5337 3,376,688 4/1968 Takacs5321 3,393,491 7/1968 Burton 532l 3,422,594 1/1969 Hurschman 53-373,427,646 2/1969 Scholle 5337 X WAYNE A. MORSE, J R, Primary ExaminerUS. Cl. X.R. 53-37

